Dali and the Cocky Prince

Edited to add this: The more I think about it the more I appreciate this series. My comments below still feel accurate, but I think I'll definitely half to rewatch this series after perhaps half a year. It is just really good.

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Although I doubt anyone is actually reading my reviews, I've started to think that spoilers are not something I want to include, so I'll try to keep this generic, while giving folks an idea of how much I enjoyed the work.

First let me note that this is not really a "light" or "fluffy" series. It has its comedic and light moments, but there is a lot of trauma and darkness as well. (More on that a bit later.)

The good stuff:

Dali and Moo-Hok are one of the cutest couples ever. Park Gyu-Young is stunning. Very much one of the most beautiful actresses I've seen. Her wardrobe for the series is quirky and very different than what we see in other Kdramas, but each outfit is so incredible and she wears them so well. Kim Min-Jae is very handsome and cute by turns, and has a boyish, joyful quality.

The acting is superb. These Korean actors just blow me away after watching American TV. (Actually we have been watching very little American TV for many years. We are watching much more TV - KDramas in particular.) The subtleties and emotion of MS Park. The energy of Mr. Kim min-Jae. Just insanely good acting. Both actors have hard roles to play without under or overdoing it, and they pull it off brilliantly.

An intelligent, elegant, mature FL. A bit dorky and ignorant ML, but with a heart of gold. A very refreshing switch up from many other KDramas we have watched.

The funny parts are really funny. The cute parts are really cute. The romantic parts are really touching.

It is a very well crafted story, compellingly told.

The OST is brilliant. The song Gift by Chai is now one of my favorite songs ever, let alone one of my favorite OST tracks. An English version is available - so touching.

Less than ideal for me, and why I give it a nine rather than a perfect 10:

This was a hard decision. I hesitated to watch the series for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. The description was somehow not compelling.

But at some point I realized Park Guy-Young was a secondary FL in in Romance Is A Bonus Book. She had quickly become my favorite character in that series! So that convinced me right away to watch Dali and Cocky prince, hoping for some of the same comedic mastery. But here she was so much more reserved, as the role demanded. As I have noted her portrayal of Dali was superb, but I guess I was hoping for more fun. This is probably a bad reason to deduct a point, but...

Also there is more darkness and trauma than I was looking for at this time, so that plays into it as well. Of course, your mileage may vary.

But it is a great show. Unless you rally just need something consistently light a fluffy, please watch it.

One of the cutest couple in kdrama that I've seen so far, they are so cute, I've laughed so hard but I also cried a lot. I totally fell in love with them, they have a lot of chemistry, definitely a must watch!

This drama is a fun one to watch and very original format and although it has some unexpected twists the story is a bit predictable.

It has a lot of exaggerated comedy but it doesn't feel forced.

The plot is intriguing and interesting and even though there's a lot of dramatic events, it doesn't become heavy because there's a lot of lighthearted moments.

I don't won't give it a 10 because I feel like the female lead is quite useless at times, I wished they had written her character with more depth and being strong and independent, I was a bit disappointed of her being rescued over and over for every male character in the drama. She is a terrific actress though. ( watched her in Sweet Home playing a very strong female character)

Overall I enjoyed it though, recommended.

I was very impressed with this show. Both Kim Min-Jae and Park Gyu-Young were excellent and their chemistry together was awesome. I loved how Dali grew in strength and confidence and Moo Hak learned to appreciate much more than money. I think Kim Min-Jae especially has a great acting career ahead of him. He is very good at comedy and serious roles as well. Park Gyu-Young was made for the part of Kim Dali. I hope there are more shows of this caliper coming soon. This was a definite winner.

This was such a delightful drama.

This series have everything: romance, comedy, drama, loss, grief, politics, little bit of thriller and what not? Usually a mixture of many genres makes a mess but that's not the case here. It's a well executed drama.

Chemistry: The chemistry was fantastic! The progression of their relationship was very nice, it was at the right pace and steady too. The couples are so cute, they relied on eachother, trusted eachother with their lives. As the story progressed, I kept on realizing how perfect they really are for each other despite their differences.

Kim Min Jae aka Moo Hak: I loved him in "Do you like Brahms?". Here he is a complete opposite character.

He is loud, kanjoos, uncultured, sometimes even silly and stupid but he is mature and adorable infact he is the most considerate amongst the so called high- educated and cultured people. He respects her lady, he knows how to make her laugh, how to wipe her tears. What a flawless character!

Park Gyu Young aka Da Li: Finally her officially first main lead role as the Da Li is just as good and convincing.

She is completely opposite of the male lead. She is wealthy but she doesn't care about money, she is smart but lacking most practical understanding.

She is elegant, delicate and extremely polite.

Kwan Yool aka Jang Tae Jin: I liked him in "Bring it on Ghost!". Here also he played a negative character very well. I like his matured and straight face.

All OSTs are peppy and soothing can be added to your playlist.

Overall, its a nice watchable drama. Give it a chance if you like Rom-Coms with strong & smart female lead and adorable male lead.

PS: Special mention should be given to the wonderful stylist and costume designers.